Potato-digger.



A. L. HOOVER.

PoTuo BIGGER. APPLIOATIOS FILED HAY 28, 1908.

903,978. Patented Nov. 1f?, i908.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE.

five. eoevs. l j spec'viacation of Lettersratent. Patented Nov. 17, 1908.

To alt whom itma'y concern: 'di substantially straight line. The guiding Be it known that I, ARTHUR LEWIS Hoowlieels 7 are designed to determinethe lower v ER, a citizen of the United States, residing end portion of the pat-h of movementofthe atrivery, in tliecounty of Erie and State of Conveyer 60 Ohio, have invented a new and useful Po- The spindles 8 pass transversely through itato-iDigger, of which the following is a the sidesl ofthe implement, and the perfo specification. rated sleeves 9 are loosely mounted upon the `This invention has relation to potato digsaid spindles. The hubs 10 of the wheels 7 v gers and it consists in the novel construction are journaled upon the sleeves 9. The said65 .shown and described.

and arrangement ofV its parts hereinafter sleeves 9 are longer than the hubs 10. The

cups 12 and 13 are also mounted upon the i' The object of tlie invention is to provide a spindles 8 and receive the end portions of potato digger with. an elevator `frame and a the hub l0: j The oil chamber 14 is interposed continuous conveyer mounted for movement between the side of the cup 13 and the side 70 1 therein which is so supported and guided iii 1 of the frame of the implement. The said its path of movement as to avoid tendency cup 14 is also mounted uponV the spindle 8.

vfor collecting stone or other foreign bodies. The oil cup 15 is mounted upon the spindle Guiding wheels of special construction are 8 and is located against the other side 1 of provided for supporting the conveyer and the fran'ie ot the implement. Said' oil cup4 75 means are provided upon the frame for pre- 15 is provided with af port 16 which is nor- `venting stone from checking in behind the mally closed by* a screw 17. By removing guiding wheels and interfering with the the screw 17 oil may be introduced into the proper operation of the same. interior of thel compartment 15. A nut 1.8

VViththcse and other objects in View the is screw threaded upon the end of the spin- 80 invention consists'in the novel construction dle 8 and is adapted to hold the parts in pointed out hereinafter. position as indicated in F ig. 3 of the draw- In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 ings. The description above given of the aris a plan View of the lower end portion of rangement ofthe wheels 7 upon the spindles the elevator frame with parts removed. Fig. 8 is done for the purpose of clearly defining 85 2 is a longitudinal sectional View of the lower how each of the wheels 5, 6 and 7 is mounted end portion of the elevator frame, and Fig. upon its respect-ive spindle. The guard 3 is a transverse sectional view cut through strips'l9 are provided adjacent the wheels 7. one of the guiding wheels of the endless con- Said strips 19 are attached at their upper veyer. ends to theinner sides l of the frame ofthe 90l The frame of the conveyer consists of the implement, and converge toward each other,

side pieces 1-1, which are connected together andc pass about the rear edge portions of the at their lower ends by the plow or cutter 2. periplieriesof the wheels 7 and are connected An endless elevator indicated by the dotted at their front end portions with the inner line 3 in Fig. 2 -is adapted to travel longiend portions of the spindles 8 upon which 95' tudinally along the frame of the implement. the wheels 7 are mounted. The guard strips The guiding wheels 5, 6 and 7 are mounted 1-9 are disposed out ofparallel alineinent upon the inner side of the sides 1 of the with the lower portions of the-path described .frame of the implement and the conveyer 3 by the movement of'tlie conveyor 3. And

passes over the guiding wheels 5, and under the said guard strips 19 are designed to pre- 100' theguiding wheels 6, and around the guidvent stones which tall through the upper ing wheels 7. The wheels 5 are designed to portion. of the conveyor 3, and lodge upon pitch. the lower portion of the eonveyer3 ata the lower portion thereoiI from becomingY proper angle with relation to the ground iii stuck in between the wheels 7 and the sides order that the said lower portion of the said l of the frame of the implement. The sah? l0@ conveyor may release stones or other objects guai-t strips 19 are so disposed that when which might be accidentally picked up. The the stone comes incontact with the same it said wheels 5 prevent the lower run. of the forced toward the middle oi: the spar-e ,be--

conveyer from bowing downwardly and tween the side.. l ci the frame oit the impieforniing a pocket for the stones. The gind# ment, and eventuailjr the said stone wil;

ing wheels t3 are designed to hold the upper A through the lower portion ot the conifere portion of the eonveyer 3 in a straightor i without interfering with the proper metl ment of the same or its supporting Wheels. Thus 1t will be seen that the space in the intenor of theconveyer 3 is unobstructed a'ud stones or other foreign bodies which may pass through the upper portionr of the con- .veyer may also pass through the lower por-v tion thereof without becoming lodged or stuck in behind the supporting Wheels. Frequently stones of. irregular shape will pass 1othroughv then upper run of the conveyer 3, and until such stones are presented properly to the lower run ofthe conveyer 3, they cannot assthrough the same.. Consequentlyf the ower portion of the lower run of the convever 3 is pitched at a slight angle to the upperrun ofy the conve-yer, in order to lroll such stones towards the lower portion of the conveyer, and during this act of rolling, bettact with ter opportunity is afforded to present the stones to the spaces' in the lower run of the 'conveyer, whereby the said stones may pass through the same. The upper ends o the guard-strips 19 are in close proximity *to the lower vlrun of the conveyer 3, and, consewhenv a stone or stones come in conquently,

the upper ends'of thesaid guardi stripathe stones are shunted or forced toward the.:A `l riddle' of the conveyer 3 and away from the fwheels 7 By removing the screw 17 the chambers 14 andl maybe filled with oil ora lubricant andas the wheels 11 .rotate they create a certain amount of suction in the interiors of the hubs v10 which draws the lubricant in :from the chamber14 into the sleeve .9, and

-thus the said wheels are lubricated upon their journal bearings.

Having described my invention what I claim as'new and desire to secure by Letters vPatent is:

- 1. In a potato digger an elevator frame, a conveyer mounted for movement thereon,

`conveyer. guiding end portions of conveyer guiding wheels journaled in the sides of the frame, and guard strips attached to the sides of the frame and converging toward each other about the rear portions of the said guiding wheels. v

2. In a potato digger an 'elevator frame, a conveyer mounted for movement'thereon, conveyen-guiding wheels journaled at the sides of the frame, spindles supporting said -wheels, and guard strips attached to the sides.

of the frame and converging .toward each other and being connected lat their forward i endportions with the inner end portions of the said spindles. v

3. In a potato digger an elevatorframe, a conveyer mounted for movement thereon,

conveyer guiding wheels journaled at 'the ner ends spaced apart, and gua-rd strips attached to the sides lof the frame and converging toward each other and being connected 'at their forward end portions with the inner the said spindles. y lIn testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own,l I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of twor witnesses.

.ARTHUR LEVIS HOOVER. Witnesses: g

`WM. WoLvERToN, FRED A. ROBERTS. 

